KILLING TIME: A Women-Led Horror-Comedy Short

After his car stalls on a deserted stretch of interstate, a theater teacher must fight for his life when he finds himself at the mercy of a wannabe-serial killer with shattered dreams of acting.

KILLING TIME is a horror-comedy short with a little bit of everything—it’s dark, it’s campy, it’s lush, it’s scary, it’s funny, it’s gory. As it delves into themes of toxic masculinity and the glorification of true crime, KILLING TIME opens up the floor to fresh conversations around how the arts can both heal and erode our inner-wounds.

As a production headed exclusively by women, KILLING TIME gives voice to female creators in a genre from which we are often excluded—a genre characterized in part by stunts and special effects both elaborate and peculiar. As a team of underrepresented individuals, the emotional and physical safety of our cast and crew is especially important to us.

We are now seeking support to help cover the cost of insurance, as well as the equipment and professional guidance that will allow for a risk-free production.

What Your Contribution Will Get You

If you’d like to be a part of turning this film into a reality, any amount helps—truly, $1 to $5 to $25 to $100 and beyond.

As a donor, you will receive a special thank-you in the credits, and an invitation to our private pre-premiere screening with cast and crew.

Notes from Writer-Director CAROLINE KOONCE:

This film is a love letter to my upbringing in the theater community. I spent my adolescence under the guidance of teachers and mentors like [protagonist] Doug who shaped me into who I am today.

Theater demands an acute vulnerability and emotional awareness that inspires kindness and empathy—an increasingly relevant skill set in the age of social isolation. The fact that arts education is on the chopping-block makes me very nervous for this next generation of students. I fear that to diminish the importance of arts education is to perpetuate the epidemic of loneliness that has led so many young people—particularly men and boys—down dark paths.

My hope is that KILLING TIME can serve as a reminder of the cultural and social importance of youth arts programs. We want to express our dogged support of these programs and are aiming to give back 5% of proceeds to a Chicago teacher coalition.

Thank you so much for taking the time to consider our project. We deeply appreciate each individual choosing to support our creative expression, and we cannot wait to show the world KILLING TIME!